Thank you Father Pat for allowing us to celebrate this VERY VERY Joyous “NOW” Moment in Time….here in Grace Church…

Grace Church has always been a welcoming, comfortable and warm place to be. I think this has a lot to do with Father Pat. They have been so good to Jessica in the past.

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There is nothing more joyous for a parent then to see their child happy!!!

BTW – if you hear thunder/lighting while am up here , it’s not directed towards any of you…

True story…

1963 – am a freshman in Brother Richards class

I had Christian Brothers as teachers in high school – The one’s with the large white collars that looked like the commandment tablets – so all their “spoken words” would pass over these tablets before they reached you…

We called brother Richard “Slinky”, because that best described the way he walked – Just like a “slinky” – He had the original Monty python walk before John Cleese did… He was well liked..

ANYWAY – At the beginning of class one day, Brother Richard gave us an “in class” assignment to define “LOVE” .

We had 45 minutes to do this… Of which I spent 42 minutes staring at a black sheet of paper. In the end I wrote “This assignment cannot be done… Love cannot be defined. No words are adequate.” And I quickly handed in my paper…

The next day in class, Bro Richard handed back our graded papers…

I can still see the large RED “C” at the top of mine.. (Which typically I would accept as an OK grade for most of my homework) But arrogance got the best of me and after class I waited for the room to empty and walked up to Bro Richard and said…”Bro Richard, Where’s the Love”??

So he is sitting there behind his desk, looking at me over reading glasses, takes my paper, scribbles something on it, hands it back to me and then continues with his work as if I just disappeared..

I look at my paper, and he’s crossed out the “C” and written underneath it, “incomplete”…

Now that’s just what a helplessly romantic 14 year old, locked up in an all-boys boarding school needed to hear… My definition of LOVE is incomplete….

You may want to keep this story in mind as I continue….

Seasons Change don’t they

Where fear and maybe loneliness once were, there is Love and Joy NOW…

Joy – Jess and I have used this word a lot over the past few years. It’s come to symbolize our need to live in the moment – to realize the JOY in “NOW” without the regret of the past or the fear of the future.

After all, I think that’s why we are all here today – To celebrate this “NOW” Moment of JOY with Jess, Chris and Mia…

This song would pop-up on my ipod sometimes when I would be running. I would inevitably end up sobbing and running, sobbing and running. Other runners would ask if am all right, and would just point to my feet in hopes that the gesture would be enough to explain my state.

Wonder – Natalie Merchant

Doctors have come
From distant cities
Just to see them
Stand over their beds
Disbelieving what they’re seeing

They say they must be one of the wonders
Of god’s own creation
And as far as they see they can offer
No explanation

I believe
Fate smiled and destiny
Laughed as they came to their cradles
“know these children will be able”
Laughed as their body’s they lifted
“know these children will be gifted
With love, with patience, with faith And with JOY!!
They will make her way”

It may be darn near impossible to define love, but we all know it when we feel it.